'If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old' Peter Drucker

Both Michael and I feel unbelievably priviledged to have been able to make this move and thus celebrate each day - the good with the bad! We have been lucky that we have had only a few 'bad' days and during those days we have had to embrace the challenges as learning experiences 😎

Being free to travel without work restrictions has been a wonderful bonus and one we intend (whilst we can!) to do as often as possible. 

So on a glorious Tuesday morning last week we slowly made our way to Cape Agulhas/Struisbaai for a two night stay 💓 and it was way beyond our expectation: AN ABSOLUTE MUST 💓💓💓

Our first stop was at  'Diesel and Creme' in Barrydale to taste their world renown, scrumptious, mouthwatering milkshakes

Tradouw's Pass (Info on the Tradouw Pass) was our next stop. It really is a beautiful pass and for me, the little village of Suurbraak is just my best. Luckily we had been told that the locals collect water from a spring which comes straight from the mountain so we came prepared .. 

The water was delicious - how lucky are we to still be able to collect clean, fresh water straight from it's source!

We reached Agulhas ( a 3 1/2 hour trip) and stayed at our little self catering cottage: Agulhasthebestview! And it certainly did 😀 We even were able to braai fresh fish which we had bought from the local fish market!

For the rest, I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

The Lighthouse, originally built in 1848, was inspired by the Egyptian pharaohs. It has subsequently been refurbished and stands proudly above the rocks shining it's light across the oceans for all to see. It rotates every three seconds and is truly a remarkable structure. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we were unable to walk to the top but apparently you can, so we will have to visit again! 

The 'Southern Most Tip of Africa' Monument is a masterpiece and made me think of what creative people we have in our world. I wondered whether, if I was their teacher,  I would've catered to their needs and enhanced their creative potential. Someone must have.💓 At this point, the two oceans (Atlantic and Indian) are said to meet. We were thus lucky to swim in both!

The famous Japanese ship was wrecked in 1981. This is amazing to see as it slowly gets absorbed back into the sea.:

 

  

Early morning swims were had in the tidal pools. This was a glorious experience and one in which we were totally immersed into the new dawn.

The harbour boasts stingrays which are completely unperturbed by humans. They swim undaunted, hunting and eating whilst we watched. It was an amazing experience to see these creatures completely in tune and happy in an environment where boats and people come and go. Stingrays in Struisbaai (and it's exactly as it is portrayed in the video)

The pools and beach are beyond incredible. I can't remember when I last swam in such crystal clear water and walked on such a pristine beach. The sounds of the pebbles washing back into the ocean was incredible.

Of course, the town always has something different on offer:

 

Wine pairing with ice-cream!

The flowers

And then always to end the day : Sunset

All I can say is that if you EVER get the opportunity to visit this beautiful space grab it with both hands. Michael and I left wondering why we hadn't come here before and why we had heard more about the beauty in other countries than we had heard about Agulhas/Struisbaai!

We arrived back home to see that our carport was complete and I can only thank the workmen who , with hardly any electrical equipment, managed to create this structure : the attention to detail was remarkable. 

We have been coerced (volunteered!) onto the Calitzdorp Uncorked committee so we are hard at work trying to give others a glimpse into why Calitzdorp is such a special place to live in. SOOOOOO .......... if you are in the area over the weekend of the 18-20 June make sure you book a space ! It'll be a great event. I will keep you posted as we unveil more 😁😁😁

Sending love, peace and joy into the universe for all always but especially during this time for the people in the Cape who have been affected by the devastating fires.

From me in the Karoo  💓💓💓